Satsuma school board to hold hearing on plan to change nonresidents' application deadline to June 15

SATSUMA, Alabama -- The Satsuma school board will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, to hear comments on a proposal to extend the deadline for nonresident students to apply for admission to the district.

The school board had originally set a deadline of April 1, but is considering changing the deadline to June 15.

Under the proposal, parents will be given notice of the student’s acceptance or rejection by Aug. 1.

The meeting will be held at the school system's central office at 220 Baker Road in Satsuma.

Satsuma City Schools charged a tuition fee of $850 per nonresident student, with reduced rates for siblings, in the 2013-14 year.

In December, the school board approved a tuition waiver program, under which nonresident students who finish the 2013-14 school year with at least a 3.0 grade point average, a 95 percent attendance rate and a clean discipline record will not have to pay tuition for the following year.

Extending the deadline will make it easier for the school system to evaluate students' qualifications, Satsuma schools Superintendent Joe Walters said.

The Satsuma school board has not set the tuition rate for the 2014-15 school year. The district's overall enrollment is 1,310. Of that, about 260 are nonresidents, according to information from the school system.